The theme of the 54th Annual Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference is "COPD and Lung Cancer: Common Pathogenesis Shared Clinical Challenges". The emphasis will be on the integration of basic, translational and clinical sciences. The clinical impact of COPD and lung cancer, the most frequent complications related to the cigarette smoke epidemic will be explored, and the program will identify shared and unique mechanistic events in each disease's pathogenesis Anchored by twelve "state-of-the-art" presentations, thematic sessions will address in both disorders genetic susceptibility and epidemiology, respiratory stem cell biology, role of senescence, genetic mutations, epigenetics, systemic inflammation, novel targeted therapies, and disease modifying or preventive interventions. This focus is in line with the recent joint effort by the NHLBI and NCI to address the mechanism underlying both COPD and lung cancer. The Conference Summary will be presented by Bartolome Celli, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard University, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. The main objectives of the conference are to 1) provide an international forum for basic and clinical researchers to exchange ideas relating to two major interrelated lung diseases;2) fill a recognized need for participation in a field where knowledge is doubling every five years;3) provide an opportunity for participants to focus in depth on a single topic by review and discussion with nationally and internationally recognized clinicians and researchers;and 4) provide an impetus to further research in pulmonary and critical care medicine